Forever's Affection (Forever In Luck Series Book 3) (15 page)

“I
thowwee
,” she whispered.

He
wasn’t sure, but he thought she might be starting to cry. “You’re not in
trouble,” he said, trying to reassure her, “but that is not a nice name, and we
don’t call little girls that.”

Looking
up in surprise, she said, “You don’t?” Little tears ran down her cheeks.

Shaking
his head slowly, he said calmly, “We don’t. We
love
our girls and say nice things to them.” This must’ve been a
real switch for her, because she wasn’t convinced and was compelled to test it
out.

“Even when they weave toy on for?”

Getting
a hang of her speech pattern, he answered, “Yep, even when they leave toys on
the floor, we love them.”

“Even when they make
noithe
?”

He
fought back a smile.
“Yep, even when they make noise.

“You
no
fmack
them or hit them?”

Feeling
his blood pressure rise, he shook his head. “We don’t hit our girls or call
them bad
names,
we love our girls no matter what.”

Reaching
up, she touched the top of his head,
then
ran her
fingers through his hair. Sitting up higher, she looked his head over.

Laughing
a little, he couldn’t fathom what she was doing. “What are you doing?”

“
Yooking
for
you
haywoe
.”

Pause…
“Looking for my…halo?”

Sitting
in front of him, both hands around his neck, she looked up at him and nodded. “
Anjoes
have
haywoes
.”

Oh
man, she was killing him. Angels have halos… Good by old Kris, hello new Kris.
He loved this little girl. He…loved her. This little mite of a girl overwhelmed
him with her innocent love and he couldn’t imagine how anyone could ever hurt
her. Is this what parent’s felt for their children, this overwhelming love? He
remembered the look of pride on Dani’s face when she introduced Junie to him.
Bringing his head up, he looked around the table to the smiling faces of his
family. They knew, probably from the look on his face. They knew he’d been
hooked. With bright eyes, his dad gave him
a little thumbs
up, and it meant everything in the world to him.

Giving
one of her ponytails a little tug, he said with deep affection, “You sure are
cute, you know that? You’re very special.”

“
Nonny
call me
wuvbug
,” she
reported proudly.

He
laughed. “That you are. Maybe I should have a special name for you too. Maybe I
should call you
Junebug
.”

Her
eyes brightened and glowed with approval.
“I
dwaw
picthure
for you.”

Jumping
down from his lap, she grabbed her backpack, emptying its contents on the
floor. Finding paper and crayons amongst the toys and books, she busied
herself.

“I
don’t get this,” he said to those around the table. “I don’t.” Glancing at
Junie, he chose his words carefully. “I hate chick stuff, always have. Never
wanted to bother with it, found
all the
pretense a
pain in the—he stopped and looked to Junie—
ahh
, rear,
and now… The night of the storm, did I maybe get struck by lightning or
something? I feel like I’ve had a lobotomy.”

His
family laughed at his confusion.

“You’ve
been bit,” Jake said, clearly loving every minute of it. “When
it’s
right, it’s right, and you find yourself thinking and
doing things you never imagined you would.”

Rubbing
his face, trying to figure this all out, he wondered again what had come over
him. How
was it
that he had been in total control of
his life one day, having it all locked down tight, and then with a crack of a
whip and the ring of a phone, it all changed in a matter of seconds. He’d never
been this malleable.

Shaking
his head, he looked at Junie, and then back to the group. “I don’t get how she
can do this, how can she do this to the two of them? How can she do what she’s
doing, it just doesn’t make any sense to me. Get a real job for f— heaven’s
sake.”

“Kris,”
Linnie said, then stopped, glancing over at Jules before continuing, “We don’t
know, but we know she’s been talking to a lot of the right people. It’s hard to
understand, but maybe—she looked at Jules again and paused—well, Jules has an
idea that may explain a part of it, but we’re not sure. We’re just kind of
guessing.”

Turning
to Jules, he said, “What, tell me so I can quit beating my head against the
wall, because I don’t get this?”

Jules
looked over her shoulder at Junie. It was obvious she would be selecting her
words carefully. “Umm, well, I suspect this individual is functionally
illiterate.”

Whoa,
his body felt like it had been
tasered
. Wait a minute
here, the full affect hitting him. Looking up in alarm, he said, “You mean—he
glanced at Junie again—like not able to…” Not wanting to say it out loud, he
pretended to be writing with an imaginary pen and reading with an imaginary
book.

Jules
nodded. “Yes,
you’re understanding
me correctly. This
individual is most likely unable to understand or complete an application of
any sort, let alone follow simple directions incorporating those skills when
left to their own devices in the job field. This person may not even know how
to make change, add or subtract, or understand the buttons on a cash register,
relegating them to the most menial of tasks in the work industry that pay only
pennies for their efforts. This person wouldn’t be able to support one, let
alone two with that kind of income.”

 
Oh God. Things, memories, came rushing to him.

“I need to see a
map, get my landmarks, then I’ll be good…Yeah, went to school, but horses were
my thing…I need the directions for the airport...Just tell me…Last I checked
phonebooks were not standard issue in glove boxes. I need your help here and
you know it. Quit being an ass…Sir, can you help
me,
I
need to get to concourse D, please take me... You go ahead and order whatever,
just no pickles, ketchup, or mustard for us…”

Then
there was her confusion when searching her contacts list on her phone and the
indecision when shopping the store. She’d declined setting up an account at
feed store, stating she’d take the application with her and complete it later,
and then there was her struggle in signing the airport papers, requiring
multiple directives on where to sign. Hell he thought she was just upset.
Then her needing to put Junie down, instead of just scribbling away
and being done with it.
Oh God, then there was the moment she shut down
and pushed him away…

“…Walmart’s
hiring you
know
, we could get you an application.”

“Don’t do me any
favors…You need to leave.”

Pulling
out the note she’d left for him, he looked at it.
Careful
block letters.
“HEN SAY YES.” He wondered how long it took her to write that.
Staring at the note, he heard himself tell her she needed to try harder. Oh
God. He was an ass. With tremendous pain in his heart, he lifted his head and
looked at his family. “It’s true. I can feel it. It makes absolute sense and
explains so many things I’ve seen, but it doesn’t answer how you can leave—he
glanced at Junie—certain things behind.”

CHAPTER 8

Through
the gates and in the VIP section of the stands, Kris and Junie sat with all his
family waiting for the start of the show. It’d been well over an hour ride to
get to the Hamel Rodeo, and he’d had to ride in the back seat of Jake’s truck
with Junie, as she’d refused to sit in her booster seat unless he did, wanting
him to read her books the whole way.

They’d
needed to take two trucks to get them all there, and because Dani
was needing
some help hauling stuff back to the ranch that
was being brought in from Wyoming. Finding a book in Junie’s backpack, he’d
read to her till she fell asleep and took a short nap, the reprieve giving him
time to think and talk with Jake and Jules during the ride.

Looking
around, he realized Dani had set them up good with premiere tickets, and they
literally had the best seats in the house as they were in the top rows of their
section off the chutes. They could see everything perfectly. Taking it all in,
he had to say he’d never been to a rodeo before. He figured they’d watch some
guys on bulls and that’d be about it. The outdoor arena was huge and he’d bet
there was close to four thousand people, or more, in the stands. Junie was
standing on the riser in front of him.

Bending
towards Linnie on his left, he said, “You ever been to a rodeo before?”

Shaking
her head, she answered, “No, but it sure seems interesting. Seeing everyone in
their western wear, makes me feel the difference between what is a farmer and a
rancher.”

She
got that right. “Sure does. I wonder if we stick out as much to them, as they
do to us.”

Junie
started climbing down and both Linnie and he reached for her. “Come here,
Junebug
,” he said lifting her up. “Come sit on my lap. You
can see better from here.”

“I
fine
thitha
,” she said, scrambling around in his lap,
sitting up tall.

Kris
looked at Linnie and she shrugged as they struggled to comprehend Junie’s
words.

“Say
that again, we didn’t hear you?”

“Where
ith
thitha
?”

Linnie
tried, “
Wherrrrre
…”

“
Thitha
,” Junie finished solidly.

Kris
thought about it.
Th
usually replaced her S’s, so in
that case… “Where is
sisa
?” he repeated, still
uncertain.

Junie
nodded her head rapidly.

Feeling
perplexed, he said, “Who or what is
sisa
?”

Junie
patted Linnie on the arm.
“Winnie you
thitha
,
Nonny
me
thitha
.

He
corrected her. “You mean mother, Dani is your mommy.”

Junie
shook her head.
“You
siwee
,
Nonny
not Nana,
Nonny
thitha
.”

Holy
shit! They were sisters… Their faces must have shown their shock, because Junie
slapped her hand over her mouth and her eyes went big, then tears started down
her face.
“
Shhh
.
It’s okay,”
he comforted her, as his mind reeled.
Holy shit.
“It’s
alright.” Bouncing his knee, he patted her back.

Sniffling,
she said despondently, “I not to tell.
I
thowwee
.”

What
the hell? Why was it such a big secret? “It’s okay, it’ll be okay.”

“Junie,
honey,” Linnie said softly. “Why can’t you tell?”

Thank
God, because he wanted to know too.

Junie
sniffled as more tears ran down her face. “
Peepole
come, take me way, make
Nonny
cwy
.
Pwease
no say, I
wuv
Nonny
. ”

Oh
God. Could this get any worse? Yep, it could.

“She’s your own
flesh and blood for
chrissakes
, and after everything
you’ve been through, how could you let her be with that woman?”

“I didn’t have a
choi
—”

“We all have
choices, Dani, don’t give me that bullshit. It was your job to keep her safe!”

“I tried, I—”

It
was official. He was an absolute ass. He’d wrongly assumed
Nonny
meant mommy, and Nana meant grandma, as that’s what they’d called their
grandmother. But it didn’t.
Nonny
was her way of
saying Dani and Nana was her way of saying Mama. Oh God. Just how many times
had he
said those words today, he wondered, having deleted
the F word from his vocabulary with Junie around.

“Well,”
Linnie said, giving a little shake of the head, “that explains how she was able
to leave certain things behind.”

It
sure the hell did. Taking a deep breath, he nodded. Could this just be over with?
The rooster wanted to see his hen. Scanning the crowd, he looked for her,
hating that she was here, “entertaining” God only knew
who,
and he didn’t know where she was or if she was safe.

Announcements
started and gates opened, horses began to stream in with riders wearing red,
white, and blue. They stood for the national anthem and Junie was looking
everywhere, but from what he could tell Dani was not among the group. The
program began and they watched a series of roping competitions, interrupted by
an introduction of that year’s Minnesota Rodeo Royalty, a thank you to
organizers and contributors, and then on to mutton busting with the little
kids. Which he had to admit was hilarious. Followed by some steer wrestling,
and then the first half of the women’s barrel racing. Finally, the halfway
mark, he thought, anxious to get this over with so he could see Dani.

“
Laaaadieeees
annnnd
gentlemeeeennn
,” the announcer said with grand style. “We
have a real treat for you tonight! We’re thrilled to present to you the next
performer, straight from the Mountain State circuit, one of Wyoming’s favorite
cowgirls, and a first for the
Haaamellll
Rodeoooo
.”

There
was a crack of a whip over the loud speaker, followed by a rumble in the crowd,
and Kris was taken back to the moment he’d first seen Dani rounding up the
loose cows with a crack of her whip.

Continuing,
the announcer went on, “Now, this little Cracker is a
preeemierrre
trick
riderrrr
in the industry, and has
been absent from the circuit for a few years now, but is back tonight and all
grown up. Riding on behalf of the National Literacy Foundation, she continues
her efforts to stamp out illiteracy through the improvement and support of
education programs throughout the United States.”

Huge
rumble throughout the crowd with another crack of the whip over the loud
speaker, and Kris knew without a doubt it was her. He was such a fucking idiot,
and he could feel his whole family slowly turn and look at him like the dunce
he was, with several of them, who he refused to acknowledge by the way, trying
their
damndest
not to fall off their seats laughing.

Sitting
there wide eyed, Junie hopping all over the place, he tried to listen, not
wanting to miss a thing. There were whistles and catcalls bubbling up from the
crowd, men here and there started jumping up, waving their hats in the air,
barking, yelling, and howling…“Sexy Lexy!” More whistling and rumbling from the
crowd, with people getting more and more excited.

“
Thaaaaat’s
right ladies and gentleman, you got it, Wyoming’s
little darling, our sweetheart and yours, one of the circuits absolute favorite
trick riders, take your hats off for Miss Rodeo Wyoming, two thousand four,
Leeexxxyyyy
Reeeeeeed
.”

The
crowd went nuts and a picture of Dani, or Queen Lexy as it was, complete with
tiara on a fancy
dancy
cowboy hat, flashed onto the
big electronic screen. You could hear the bang, clank, and thud as fence gates
were quickly being parted by some rodeo muscle, and the crowded jumped to their
feet cheering loudly.

The
sound of galloping horse hooves was being broadcast over the loud speaker,
followed by some very real sounding whip cracks. Holy shit…

Dani
burst onto the scene riding a decorated Ricochet and the cheer was deafening.
Ricochet went up on his hind legs, his front hooves pawing the air while he let
out a loud squealing horse sound, and Kris thought he was about to have a heart
attack, except that Dani was in complete control. Round and around Ricochet
danced, then down on all fours, he took off at a dead run as Dani waved to the
crowd and cracked that whip, stirring them up even further.

She
was a picture as she put Ricochet through his paces, dancing him around and
doing various horse acrobatics. The transformation from the Dani he knew, to
“Sexy Lexy, Queen of the Rodeo was stunning and damn near unbelievable, except
that it was her, and he knew it even though he hadn’t had that eye examination
she’d suggested way back when. Wearing a white form fitting, long sleeved top
that fit snug below the breasts, followed by a barely there sheer and
iridescent fabric covering a bare midriff, she glittered from all the sparkles
that were everywhere reflecting the arena lights. Her form fitting white and
glittery pants complete with more beads and sparkles, accentuated her figure perfectly,
and the ensemble carried fringes in all the right places. And yet, as beautiful
and spectacular as she was, he knew she hated it. What had she called it? Oh
yeah, cheap and tawdry, and on some he would say that would be true, but her
persona and presence did it justice, making it more befitting of her class and
station.

Her
whip wrapped and coiled, out came the lasso, and he said it again. Oh God.
Front and center, she stood on Ricochet’s back performing various roping
tricks…spinning it over her head, off to the side, out in front, and behind her
back. The rope danced and looped, the crowd cheering as she did the Kansas wind
tunnel, the wedding ring, then the Texas sidestep, all while atop the horse.
The circle of rope going round and around, small loops, then big, then bigger
still, around her, around Ricochet, up high, down low, along her arm and behind
her back, she owned that rope. Just when Kris didn’t think it could get any
more spectacular than it already was, she and Ricochet were on the move again,
and he was sure she was going to die right before their very eyes.

Clutching
Junie, he held his breath as she spun in the saddle like a gymnast working a
vault while Ricochet ran the perimeter of the arena at top speed. According to
the announcer, she’d moved into the “vaulting” portion of the performance.
Okay, so he wasn’t completely stupid. A one footed stand atop Ricochet called
the spritz, had her bent forward and holding nothing more than Ricochet’s mane
to support herself, then on to a move with no hands, another where she was
standing atop Ricochet, tipped and bowed so far forward, that Kris was certain
she was going to tumble right over his head. Apparently the move was called the
Hippodrome, and was a tough one to do in the trick riding industry. Go figure.
Now a leap off the moving horse as she held the saddle horn, her feet tapping
the ground and flying back behind her propelling her back up through the air
and into the saddle, only to repeat it a number of times before hopping off
Ricochet and running alongside the galloping horse, her long strides keeping
perfect time with his gait as she gripped the saddle horn, then with an
in-stride hop, she was back atop him, only to hop down and do it again and
again, making it look so easy. The crowd went insane.

As
if that wasn’t enough, things went truly radical in Kris’s book. She was
hanging upside down on the side of Ricochet as he continued galloping around,
her hair and hands dragging in the dirt in what was billed the dead man’s drag,
then some movements and she was truly standing outright off the side of her
horse, held parallel to the ground by nothing more than a few straps about her
feet. Then more “fender tricks” the announcer heralded as she flipped and
twisted this way and that, again held by nothing more than a few loops of
leather dangling from the side of her saddle. Now head down, with her feet
straight up in the air in a side saddle handstand, as she clung to loops behind
her. Aww hell, now she was wearing a blindfold. Screw it, he couldn’t keep
track anymore, it went on and on.

Well,
there’d been one thing he’d been right about that ugly day they’d quarreled,
she could get hurt or be killed,
that
was for damn
sure. According to the announcer she was an eminent trick rider who “never
failed to deliver” to the delight and pleasure of the audience.
Watching this, seeing her in action, in her element, made the
thought of her stocking shelves or weighing produce at Walmart ludicrous.
She was amazing, absolutely amazing, and something big, something very big, had
to of happened to make her want to leave it all behind.

With
a hop and a flip, she summersaulted off the back of Ricochet, and the two took
their bows to the whoops and hollers of the crowd. More whistling, and then inappropriate
comments and suggestions hollered by various men throughout the place that Kris
could honestly say he did not appreciate one bit. The sad thing was, two weeks
ago, he would’ve most likely been one of those men. Then running up behind
Ricochet, Dani leap frogged her way back into the saddle and away they went. A
hand clamped onto his shoulder, as she exited the ring with a final crack of
the whip.